‘Trump Effect’ on Closure of US Immigration International Offices

MANILA, Philippines — The closure of international offices of the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), including Manila, follows the Trump administration’s immigration policy.

The USCIS had announced that its field office in Manila would permanently stop its operations on July 5.

US Embassy to assume responsibility of USCIS

The US Embassy in Manila would be taking over limited immigration services that the USCIS provided to individuals living in the Philippines.

“Under an existing inter-agency agreement, the US Embassy in the Philippines will assume responsibility for certain limited immigration services previously provided at this location by USCIS,” US Embassy deputy press attaché Trude Raizen said.

Raizen clarified that the closure of the USCIS in Manila would not affect visa processing at the US Embassy in the Philippines.

The US Embassy also disclosed that the shutter of the USCIS in Manila was due to “insufficient workload.”

“USCIS is working better to leverage funds to address backlogs in the United States while also leveraging existing Department of State resources at post,” Raizen said.

The USCIS in Manila had stopped accepting applications and petitions on May 31. It began redirecting Forms I-130 or the petition for alien relative to its lockbox facility in Chicago on May 14.

Forms I-130 and I-407 or record of abandonment of lawful permanent resident status will be transitioned to domestic and electronic processing, respectively.

The USCIS posted new filing instructions on its website upon announcing the closure of its field office in Manila.

Among the services that may be filed at the US Embassy in the Philippines are Form I-360 or petition for Amerasian, widow(er) or special immigrant and Form I-131A or application for travel document. In rare circumstances, Form I-407 or record of abandonment of lawful permanent resident status may be submitted to the US Embassy.

Form I-730 or refugee/asylee relative petition should be filed with the Nebraska or Texas Service Center while the Filipino World War II Veterans Parile Program petition must be filed with the USCIS lockbox facility in Chicago.

“All other services will be performed domestically in the United States,” Raizen said.Read more at https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2019/06/07/1924454/trump-effect-closure-us-immigration-international-offices#gefwWVdrkrEvmRLd.99